Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I am in the 11th grade and I am a junior at Williamsburg Preparatory High School. I enjoy spending time with my family and also just learning new things. With the internet and YouTube it's easy to find new interests and get lost in all of that. I also really enjoy spending time with friends. As for my family, they mainly live in Pennsylvania. Here in New York City it’s me, my mom, my brother, and my dad. We’re very close.
How did you discover FGI? Why did you decide to join the program?
I discovered FGI through my business class with Miss Smith, and just initially hearing about it, it was really interesting to me to learn about finances and all the various aspects that come together to make the market that runs our country. It also aligns with my goals for when I get older, which is to be financially independent and financially stable. That’s why I was really interested in the program.
What was your favorite part of FGI?
My favorite part about FGI was really just going and learning the key aspects of investing, bonds, and stocks. I also really liked learning from people that were kind of in my position… people that graduated from FGI, went to college and are now teaching us high schoolers about it. I found that they made it relatable and it also helped ease into understanding the new concepts that I wasn’t aware of before.
What was your biggest discovery or learning as part of FGI?
The biggest thing I learned through FGI was just learning how expansive and how extensive finance and investing is. I thought originally it was you put your money somewhere and it’ll go up or down. But there’s so much more to it. There’s external factors that can affect stocks or bonds, negatively or positively, such as how people on social media may view a product.
How did the program change the way that you had traditionally thought about finance and investing? How did it change your habits?
FGI helped me realize that there are a lot of ways to take your money and grow it, such as diversifying the types of companies or businesses that you invest in. When I get older, I’m definitely going to continue to try and invest in a lot of different companies, because investing in one isn’t really ideal if you want to see growth.
FGI is an organization supported by donors and almost all volunteers. What message would you send to those who have supported, or are considering supporting a program like this?
I would say to them that their gratitude and their donations and just their general support for FGI is very much appreciated by students like me. Just having the chance to be able to go to college and get tutoring from people who were in a position like me (high schoolers), it's really just something I'm very grateful for and something I'm sure all the students before me and after me can agree on.
What are your future plans, goals, or dreams?
My future plans and goals are to be financially independent and stable as well as to have a job that I enjoy doing, hopefully one that's going to help me live a consistent lifestyle. I also just want to be a better person with relationships, school, and just try to improve everyday when I can. I would like to go to college as well but don’t have a specific one in mind yet.
